Heathbridge Capital Management Ltd. Decreases Stock Holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Heathbridge Capital Management Ltd. reduced its stake in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) by 10.5% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 425 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 50 shares during the quarter. Mastercard makes up 0.1% of Heathbridge Capital Management Ltd.’s holdings, making the stock its 25th largest position. Heathbridge Capital Management Ltd.’s holdings in Mastercard were worth $233,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Brighton Jones LLC raised its stake in Mastercard by 42.3% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,824 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $3,594,000 after buying an additional 2,028 shares during the last quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG raised its stake in Mastercard by 11.8% in the fourth quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG now owns 70,472 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $37,108,000 after buying an additional 7,452 shares during the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC raised its stake in Mastercard by 51.6% in the fourth quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 2,954 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $1,555,000 after buying an additional 1,006 shares during the last quarter. Mascagni Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Mastercard in the fourth quarter valued at about $73,000. Finally, Trustco Bank Corp N Y purchased a new stake in Mastercard in the fourth quarter valued at about $211,000. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Julius Genachowski sold 312 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $570.67, for a total transaction of $178,049.04. Following the transaction, the director owned 8,469 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,833,004.23. This trade represents a 3.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Craig Vosburg sold 14,051 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $585.05, for a total value of $8,220,537.55. Following the transaction, the insider owned 58,451 shares in the company, valued at approximately $34,196,757.55. The trade was a 19.38% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 38,753 shares of company stock worth $20,351,084. 0.09% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Mastercard Stock Down 0.5%

Shares of MA opened at $550.33 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.81. Mastercard Incorporated has a 12 month low of $428.86 and a 12 month high of $594.71. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $568.07 and its two-hundred day moving average is $548.00. The firm has a market cap of $501.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.59, a PEG ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 1.02.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The credit services provider reported $3.73 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.57 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $7.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.12 billion. Mastercard had a return on equity of 196.87% and a net margin of 45.21%. Mastercard’s quarterly revenue was up 14.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $3.31 earnings per share. Analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 8th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 9th will be paid a $0.76 dividend. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.55%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 9th. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio is presently 21.32%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have commented on MA. Wall Street Zen cut Mastercard from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, June 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $633.00 price target on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. Macquarie reduced their price objective on Mastercard from $645.00 to $610.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Wolfe Research set a $655.00 price objective on Mastercard in a research note on Monday, June 23rd. Finally, Truist Financial started coverage on Mastercard in a research note on Monday, June 2nd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $640.00 price objective for the company. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have issued a buy rating and three have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $611.50.

Mastercard Profile

Mastercard Incorporated, a technology company, provides transaction processing and other payment-related products and services in the United States and internationally. The company offers integrated products and value-added services for account holders, merchants, financial institutions, digital partners, businesses, governments, and other organizations, such as programs that enable issuers to provide consumers with credits to defer payments; payment products and solutions that allow its customers to access funds in deposit and other accounts; prepaid programs services; and commercial credit, debit, and prepaid payment products and solutions.